Come Fly with Me: Tales from a Master Falconer

In Come Fly With Me, Mark Joseph Good, recipient of two Governor's Distinguished Service Awards, the Florida Park Service Heroism Award, and the National Park Service Award of Valor, gives us a glimpse into his demanding, challenging, and very rewarding life as a master falconer. Through engaging, insightful anecdotes, you will meet many of the raptors he has worked--and bonded--with throughout the years. One such bird is Thorin Oakenshield, a rare Eurasian Eagle Owl whose tale is one of intrigue involving the illegal pet trade, smugglers, and government secrecy.

The ancient sport of falconry, the art of hunting with a trained bird of prey to catch live quarry, has a long history, from the Mongol Empire to medieval Europe and beyond. Today, falconry evokes images of gallant knights upon glossy steeds with a falcon, hawk, or eagle perched upon their gauntlet. But to Mark, falconry is "all about the birds."

Known as The Owl Whisperer, Mark and his raptors teach young and old about our natural environment and the wildlife he loves. Through his true stories, photos, and illustrations, he conveys the truly spiritual connection he has with these amazing creatures and the seemingly magical happenings that often surround them.

Mark Joseph Good was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but left his home state at the age of nineteen. Mark served over forty years between Florida and Colorado in forest management and forest wildland firefighting. Throughout his career, Mark has received many distinguished awards: the Governor's Distinguished Service Award under two Florida governors: Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush; the Department of Agriculture Outstanding Service Award presented by Commissioner of Agriculture Bob Crawford; the Florida Park Service Heroism Award for saving lives during river flooding during a storm; the Award of Valor presented by National Park Service Director Fran Manella for saving drowning boaters in an alligator-infested river at night; and the Interpreter of the Year (public speaker) for the Department of Environmental Protection within the Park Service of Florida. These forms of recognition are but some of many over the years.